Skid support

ABSTRACT

To support billets that are being pushed through the furnace of a rolling mill a support is formed from skid bars that extend from the charging end to a point a few feet from the discharge end where they rest on a crosstie. This crosstie is welded to another set of skid bars that extend through the discharge end of the furnace.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72]Inventor Richard L. Croiter Yonkers,N.Y. 797,479

2,563,883 8/195l Strickland, lr........... 3,342,468 9/1967Sidwell.........................

[2| Appl. No. [22] Filed Feb. 7, 1969 {45] Patented Feb. '2, X971FOREIGN PATENTS 2/ 1962 Great Britain...

Anaconda Wire and Cable Company a corporation of Delaware [73] AssigneePrimary Examiner-John J. Cam Attorney-Victor F. Volk h :6 mmem u i 0.mnm tk%mu d cm emwsm hoe-l mfi mmd am e .l mmo d o mh m nmm t am om mpflb su e sgrm hamyk. fl msm blm m fl he m W c n mwf D. 6 U mWf so em r.d o mn T me md edm m cnao A eh t ummy m d meaedm mmmwd 648 NH 69 2 73 26F2 F m m m m mm m m m m W 8 Sm LM m W d. m um M H N 5 555 l .lll.

PATENTED FEB 21971 Fig.

INVIiN'lUA.

R. L. CROITER SKID SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In furnaces ofrolling mills. and other furnaces where there is a continuing passage ofheavy articles. it is customary to accomplish the passage of the articlethrough the furnace by applying a pushing force to the last introducedarticle on the charging end of the furnace so that each of the articleswill push the one ahead of it one step forward through the furnace.Means must be provided on which the articles can be slidably supportedwhen they are pushed. and in furnaces for copper wire rolling mills ithas been known to use a pair of steel skid bars or rails, the lowerportion of which were hollow and kept relatively cool by a continuouswater flow. This apparatus had the objection that it was subject toleaks and wasteful of the heat that was removed in the cooling water. Inaddition, cold spots remained in those areas of the copper billetsdirectly supported by the cooled bars. A further objection to this knownskid system, and, indeed, any supporting system comprising a pair ofrails or bars extending through the furnace, resides in the likelihoodof uneven expansion of the two rails with the result that, on thedischarge end, where the rails slope downward to deliver the hot billetsto the rolls, the sloping rails will not be parallel and the billet willtip.

SUMMARY I have invented a skid support for articles within a furnace,where the furnace has a charging end and a discharge end, that overcomesthe above named defects of known supports and incorporates otheradvantages to be described. My improved support comprises a relativelyshort discharge member with a correspondingly low-temperature-inducedchange in dimensions. This discharge member comprises a plurality ofshort parallel metal bars, such as stainless steel bars, and a likemetal crosstie fixedly supporting each of these bars, such as by beingwelded to them. At least two of the bars project outside of thedischarge end of the furnace and have sloping extensions that provideskid surfaces for the discharge of the articles. My support alsocomprises a long internal member with a plurality of long parallel metalbars substantially longer than the short bars and displaced laterallyfrom them so that the long bars can expand without dislodging the shortbars. The long bars are fixedly supported at a point outside thecharging end of the furnace and extend to a point where they areslidably supported on the crosstie to which the short bars are fixed.Lateral outward movement of the long bars is prevented by having themplaced within the area of the crosstie defined by the short bars.

By means of my invention I propose greatly to simplify the supportapparatus of a furnace so that it may be quickly and inexpensivelyreplaced when it has worn.

By means of my invention I propose further to provide a support within afurnace that will discharge articles such as billets uniformly.

By means of my invention I propose further to provide a support within afurnace that will will minimize cold spots on billets and other articlesbeing heated.

Additional objects of my invention will become apparent fromconsideration of the detailed description hereinbelow given.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a side view of a furnaceincorporating my invention.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the support of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A copper wire rolling mill furnace,indicated generally by the numeral 10, is used to heat billets ll,commonly called wire bars, immediately prior to rolling. The billets arepushed through the furnace by the reciprocation of a ram 12 at thecharging entrance 13 and emerge red hot at the discharge end 14 of thefurnace 10. The length of the furnace 10 will depend upon many factors,but my apparatus works well in a furnace about 38 feet long, and, theremay be two or more supports for parallel lines of billets passingthrough the furnace. In their passage through the furnace 10 the billetsare initially skidded along a pair of skid bars 16, 17. which, in theillustrated case, have a flat length of about 35 feet. These bars aremade of stainless steel, and, for copper furnace temperatures, l havefound that RA330 stainless steel, supplied by Rolled Alloys, Inc.. issuitable. The bars are welded to steel blocks l8, 19 which abut thefloor of the furnace and are firmly fixed by lag bolts 21. The bars 18,19 are bent downwardly a short distance at the points 22, 23 andprotrude a short distance outside of the entrance 13 so that the coldbillets can be set in position to be pushed by the ram 12. Except forwelds 24 which fix them to the blocks 18, 19 the bars 16, 17 are notattached at any point, with the result that they are free to expandwithout buckling when the furnace is brought to heat. The forward endsof the bars 16, 17 do, however, rest on a crosstie 26 and extend beyondthe tie for a distance sufficient to allow for contraction upon cooling.The crosstie 26 also supports short bars 27, 28 which are welded to itwith welds 29. Since the bars 27, 28 are laterally displaced outside ofthe bars 16, 17 expansion of the bars 16, 17 can take place withoutaffecting the bars 27 28. The bars 27, 28 extend through the dischargeend 14 and terminate in downwardly bent portions 31, 32 on which thebillets 11 are slid when they leave the furnace. Due to the short lengthof the bars 27, 28 any differential expansion that occurs due todifferences in their temperature or their coefficients, is not greatenough adversely to affect the manner in which the billets slide whenthey leave the furnace 10. The bars 27 28, are also bent downwardly attheir ends 33, 34 so that they can offer no obstruction to the slidingof the billets forward. The welded bars 27, 28 are seen to confine thefree bars l6, 17 on the crosstie 26 and prevent them from spreadingapart sufficiently to slide off the edges of the tie.

The floor 36 of the furnace 10 is formed of refractory brick and this isgrooved to support the bars 16, 17, 27, 28 and has a particularly deepgroove for the crosstie 26 which is thus prevented from sliding forwardunder frictional pressure of the billets 11.

As the billets 11 are slowly advanced along the bars 16, 17 the portionsof their surfaces that are in contact with these bars remain cooler thanthe areas of the billets that are in direct contact with the hot furnacegases, but when the billets transfer from the bars 16, 17 to the bars27, 28 the areas that were previously in contact with the bars 16, 17are exposed to the furnace gases with the result that the billets aremore uniformly heated.

I have invented a new and useful skid support of which the foregoingdescription has been exemplary rather than definitive and for which Idesire an award of Letters Patent as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A skid support for articles within a furnace having a charging endand a discharge end comprising:

A. a discharge-end member comprising:

1. a plurality of short parallel metal bars;

2. a metal crosstie fixedly supporting said bars; and

3. downwardly sloping extensions of at least two of said bars projectingoutside of the discharge end of said furnace and providing skid surfacesfor the discharge of said articles; and

B. an internal member comprising:

1. a plurality of long parallel metal bars having a length substantiallygreater than the length of said short bars and displaced laterallytherefrom;

2. means fixedly supporting said long bars at a point out side of thecharging end of said furnace",

3. said long bars extending from said charging end to said crosstie andbeing slidably supported upon said crosstie.

comprise stainless steel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said short'bars are welded to saidtie.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said long bars are laterallyconfined upon said tie by said fixed short bars.

1. A skid support for articles within a furnace having a charging endand a discharge end comprising: A. a discharge-end member comprising: 1.a plurality of short parallel metal bars;
 2. a metal crosstie fixedlysupporting said bars; and
 3. downwardly sloping extensions of At leasttwo of said bars projecting outside of the discharge end of said furnaceand providing skid surfaces for the discharge of said articles; and B.an internal member comprising:
 1. a plurality of long parallel metalbars having a length substantially greater than the length of said shortbars and displaced laterally therefrom;
 2. means fixedly supporting saidlong bars at a point outside of the charging end of said furnace; 3.said long bars extending from said charging end to said crosstie andbeing slidably supported upon said crosstie.
 2. a metal crosstie fixedlysupporting said bars; and
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shortbars are bent downwardly at said tie thereby avoiding any obstruction tothe passage of said articles.
 2. means fixedly supporting said long barsat a point outside of the charging end of said furnace;
 3. downwardlysloping extensions of At least two of said bars projecting outside ofthe discharge end of said furnace and providing skid surfaces for thedischarge of said articles; and B. an internal member comprising: 3.said long bars extending from said charging end to said crosstie andbeing slidably supported upon said crosstie.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said long bars are laterally confined upon said tie by saidfixed short bars.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bars and saidtie comprise stainless steel.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein saidshort bars are welded to said tie.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2 whereinsaid long bars are laterally confined upon said tie by said fixed shortbars.